Valve action mechanism for wind instruments



June 8, 1937. c, E, BRYANT 7 2,083,048

VALVE ACTION MECHANISM FOR WIND INSTRUMENTS Filed May 14,.1934

INVEZN TOR 6 Zi gy ATTORNEYS Patented June 8, 1937 UNITED STATES ragged PATENT QFFIQE.

VALVE ACTION MECHANISM FOR WIND INSTRUMENTS Application May 14, 1934, Serial No. 725,543

6 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in valve action mechanisms for wind instruments.

The object of my invention is to provide an actuating mechanism for a valve lever of a musical instrument whereby to provide a positive, light,

fast action.

Another object of my invention is to provide an octave valve key action for a wind instrument wherein the manipulation of the key by the player causes the valve to open by reason of positive lever action.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a saxaphone in which a preferred form of my new valve actuating mechanism is incorporated.

Figure 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the views.

In the drawing I have shown my valve actuating mechanism in the form in which it is incorporated in a saxaphone Ill which is provided with the usual goose-neck II and main pipe l2. In the goose-neck II is an octave valve l3 closed by a pad I l forming a part of a long lever I5 25 comprising the octave key which is fulcrumed at l6 and which is moved to normally closed position by spring II. A ring l8 carried rigidly by the octave key l5 surrounds the goose-neck and extends peripherally to encompass the padded end H! of an automatic octave key forming one of the principal parts of my novel construction.

Those skilled in the art will be aware of the purpose of the octave key l5 and the opening and closing of the valve l3 which, when closed, causes the instrument to be pitched in the lower register and when opened causes the instrument to be pitched in the upper register. In my improved construction the spring l'l acting upon 40 the octave key 15 tends to close the valve l3 by pressing the pad [4 thereupon and the pressure of the thumb of the player opens the valve by means of levers constituting the action now to be described.

45 The various elements of my new action are supported upon posts 2| to 25, inclusive, projecting from the pipe l2 forming the main body member of the saxaphone. Tracing the motivating impulse of the pressure of the thumb of the 50 player upon thumb piece 26, we find that the thumb key when pressed causes the thumb key shaft 2! to rotate upon an axis supported by posts 2| and 22. In its rotative movement, the thumb key shaft 21, swings the thumb key lever 55 28 which is .provided at its tip with a ball 29.

The ball 29 is receivable in a socket 3% in one end of a link 3!. At the other end of the link 3! is a socket 32 in which is receivable a ball 33 forming a part of post The link 3i is integral with automatic octave key which, as 5 stated above, extends upwardly to its padded end l9 which abuts the interior surface of ring l8. Below the link 3! the automatic octave key 20 extends downwardly a considerable distance to its lower extremity 34 where it is in a position to 10 be overlayed by a finger forming a part of the G key 36, which is normally in such a position as to cause the finger to bear upon the lower extremity 34 of the automatic octave key 20. The point of contact between the lower end 15 34 of the automatic octave key and the finger becomes therefore a fulcrum about which the automatic octave key Eli swings when the ball 29 moves outwardly away from the main body I2 of the saxaphone, and it is this outward action of the padded tip H) of the automatic octave key 20 which causes the lower portion of the octave key l5 to be drawn in toward the goose-neck, and therefore causes the valve l3 to be opened when the pad i4 is lifted therefrom by the upper end of the octave key lever.

When the G key is pressed down and the finger 35 is therefore swung away from the body of the instrument, the fulcrum at is effectively removed and movement of the thumb piece 26 will be ineffective to move the part it of the automatic octave key 2!].

Attention is particularly called to the construction of the link 3! which is so deeply socketed at 30 as to permit of the insertion of a compression spring 31 to bear upon the ball 29 and therefore prevent undue looseness in the position of the ball 33 in socket 32 at the other end of the link. The link is therefore in such relation to the ball 29 and the ball 33 as to provide what may be termed universal motion of the link with respect to said balls and the link may be said to float between them. I have found that this socketedlink form of action is extremely light, positive, and fast, and taken in conjunction with the change which I have made in the octave key it: itself, provides for positive opening of the valve [3 even though the pad M may have stuck thereto in an interval of disuse of the instrument.

I claim:

1. An action mechanism for a musical instrument including a motivating lever provided with a ball tipped arm, a stationary member provided with a ball tipped arm and a motivated member comprising a link socketed to receive said ball tips, and extending therebetween, one of said sockets in the link being provided with an inset spring.

2. The combination with a musical wind instrument provided with a ported opening to change the pitch thereof, of a lever with a pad for closing said opening, a finger key and lever to operate the pad lever, a stationary fulcrum, and an intermediate lever to interact with the lever and provided with a floating link extending be tween the fulcrum and the finger key lever, said lever, said link and said fulcrum being interconnected by means of ball and socket connections. one of which is provided with a socket sufliciently elongated to provide for motion of the ball in the socket in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the link.

3. An action mechanism for a musical instrument including spaced members, one of which comprises a movable portion of the action, a link floated between the members and provided with ball and socket connection therewith, one of the ball and socket connections being provided with a resilient member whereby to prevent loose and noisy interaction between the link and said members.

4. An action mechanism for a musical instrument including spaced members, a link between the members and provided with a ball and socket connection therewith whereby to float the link between said members, one of said members being fixed and another of said members being mounted for rocking motion, the socket for the ball on the last mentioned member being deeply pocketed to permit of movement of the ball therein along a longitudinal axis of the link.

5. An action mechanism for a musical instrument including spaced members, one of said members comprising a fixed fulcrum and the other of said members comprising a rocking actuator, a link floated between the members and provided with sockets to receive the balls upon said spaced members, the socket to receive the ball of the rockable member being substantially deeper than the socket to receive the ball of the fixed member and a spring in the deeper socket whereby to urge the link against the ball of the fixed member.

6. In a musical instrument having action mechanism, an actuator lever, an actuated member comprising a floating link between said levers, and ball and socket connections between said link and said lever, one of the sockets being deepened to permit of action longitudinal of the link.

CHARLES E. BRYANT. 

